Blog

We thank you for Mattel’s apology for the stereotypical messaging in the book “Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer.” We ask that you remove this troubling book from the nation’s bookstores (virtual and real) and take further steps to avoid this type of misstep in the future.

CSEdWeek takes place December 8-14, 2014 to coincide with Admiral Grace Hopper's birthday, a visionary computer scientist born on December 9, 1906. CSEdWeek was first recognized in 2010 when the 111th Congress passed House Resolution 1560. This weeklong celebration raises awareness about the impact of computing on innovation and economic growth, as well as the need to bolster computer science education at all levels.

I attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) for the first time in 2014. I came on behalf of my employer, Rackspace, as part of a large team hoping to recruit talented women from our booth at the Exhibition Hall. As a software development team lead, and leader of the San Francisco office’s summer internship program, I’ve been to many university career fairs. None prepared me for the incredible size of GHC’s Exhibition Hall, which was packed for the full 3 days it was open.

Unconscious Bias

A recent article from Fast Company written by Howard Ross covered the topic of Unconscious Bias. Ross wrote, “How can we hire, retain, and develop the best people and make the best decisions in running our organizations if we are not even aware of the forces that dominate the choices we make?” Ross acknowledged that while it may be impossible to completely eliminate bias, “there are things that we can do to mitigate the impact of biases on our organizational decision-making.”

Board Diversity

Nominations for the 2015 Harrold and Notkin Research and Graduate Mentoring Award are open through November 3rd, 2014. Read on to learn more about the award and the inspirational people for whom it was named. Nominate someone today.